Lois

Biblical Record

Lois is named only once in the Bible. In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul recalls the "unfeigned faith" of Timothy and writes that this faith dwelt first in Timothy's grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, and that he is persuaded it is in Timothy also. Scripture records nothing about Lois's origins, her life, the time of her conversion, or her death.

Acts 16:1 describes Timothy's mother as "a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed," and his father as a Greek, while 2 Timothy 3:15 states that Timothy had known the Scriptures from childhood. Neither passage, however, mentions Lois by name.

Significance Within Scripture

In 2 Timothy 1:5, Lois is presented as an example of faith handed down from one generation to the next. "Unfeigned" means without hypocrisy, that is, sincere. Immediately after this verse, Paul exhorts Timothy to stir up the gift he had received. The faith of Lois and Eunice is thus presented as the setting in which Timothy's own faith and ministry took root.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• The nature of Lois's faith: Some interpreters read this "faith" as faith in Christ. Others read it as the faith of a devout Jew who followed the Old Testament Scriptures, a faith that later led to faith in Christ. The text does not make this distinction.
• Later traditions: The view that Lois was Jewish is inferred from the record that her daughter Eunice was a Jewish woman. A commonly repeated account holds that she was converted at Lystra during Paul's first missionary journey, but Scripture does not state this directly. The idea that she taught Timothy the Scriptures from childhood is likewise an interpretation drawn from reading 2 Timothy 3:15 together with 1:5; 3:15 itself does not say who taught him.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Lois is usually mentioned together with her daughter as Lois and Eunice. The two are frequently cited in sermons for Parents' Sunday or for Family Month in May as examples of passing faith down through the generations, of family worship, and of the religious education of children.